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Arthur Kirkland
Arthur Kirkland is a main character in the manga/anime, Hetalia, and the Tea Leaves series. He is the personification of the United Kingdom. Arthur is part of the Allies with America, France, Russia, and China. Appearance and Personality Appearance Arthur has messy, short blond hair and green eyes. He dresses in a green military uniform with a Sam Browne Belt. His eyebrows are very thick and prominent, even though he apparently trims them. They are a trait that is shared by his younger brother Peter, as well as Australia, Wang Ja and Wy. Personality Arthur is an obstinate, former pirate, who used to torment Antonio. In modern times he claims to be a gentleman, however he is cynical, sharp-tongued, prone to rough speech and yearns for the golden years. He is noted for being horrible at cooking which has caused Alfred, his former charge, to have "bad" taste in food. Arthur is also, apparently, the "king of losing things", and can be described as "spacey" because of his strong belief in magic, spirits, fairies, and various other fantasy-related creatures. Francis has also described him as "somehow extremely useless when it comes to matters not pertaining to himself or Alfred". He has the ability to communicate with supernatural beings and is not limited to creatures from his homeland, being able to interact with various youkai and spirits from Japanese folklore. Despite this, Arthur often ridicules Alfred's belief in aliens, as well as Alfred's alien friend, Tony. According to the author's notes, Arthur's interests include: embroidery, craftsmanship, literature, rock music, and giving scathing criticisms to Alfred's movies. He does not know how to express himself, and others often misunderstand him. He is also depicted as being self-deprecating or tsundere. Despite his cynical, realistic view on the world, he is a romanticist. When drunk, his personality will change from that of a gentleman to a bitter and violent delinquent. Also, every year when the Fourth of July comes around, his condition collapses. It has been mentioned that Arthur has brothers, one representing Scotland, and the others presumably Wales and Northern Ireland, who hate him and used to drive him away with stones and arrows when he was a child, and even went as far as to mail him curses. Back Story Arthur first appeared in Episode 01 where he disagreed with Alfred's plan to stop global warming and later fighting with Francis before being stopped by Ludwig. In the anime, his hair is a more vivid yellow shade of blond, rather than the paler blond used in the manga illustrations. Storyline History Tea Leaves and White Pearls Arthur talks to Alfred over the phone, talking about whether humans and mystical creatures could have a romantic relationship together. The English man says it is possible, but doesn't think it's a good idea for Alfred and Florence to get together. Tea Leaves and Silver Rings At first, Arthur doesn't know what's going on. Flying Mint Bunny and his other imaginary friends are too afraid to tell him the truth. That doesn't help the fact that he is starting to see the cleaners floating around London. Later, Arthur gets the feeling that someone is following him as he is walking home. When he makes it back to his flat, he finds Hecate Mayfair sitting on his couch, waiting for him. She reveals to him her true nature and tells him to enter the game and fulfill his role. When Flying Mint Bunny tries to stop him, the nightcomer flicks him away to another realm. Hecate shows him Ikebukuro and the seven Gates to the Apocalypse and the aftermath awaiting them. She tells him that they will be in touch and leaves the flat. When Flying Mint Bunny tries to talk to him, Arthur walks off in a daze. The next day, the English man stops by Kiku and Sena's house to pay the former a visit. Alfred calls Arthur for advice on pursuing a relationship with Florence. This time, the English man tells him to go for it. However, the American man suspects that something is off about him. Tea Leaves and Opal Necklaces Kiku notices that Arthur has been acting nervous around him as he keeps trying to reach out to him. Clearly, the Japanese man notices that something is off about him. Things get worse when Hecate rapes Arthur and pushes him into forming a contract with him. Francis notices that something is off about the British man by the way he doesn't respond to his insults and pushes him away. After the first night with Hecate, Arthur is left traumatized. By the seventh night, the contract is completed and Hecate reminds him that she and her sisters are always watching. Things get even worse when Hecate and her sisters stalk him. The nightcomer waits for him at his flat. Because of this, the Englishman tries hard not to go home. He stops by Francis' house. After the Frenchman gives him warm milk, Arthur tells him that he was a good friend and apologizes for the bad blood between them. When Francis asks him what's wrong, the Englishman walked away. When he gets home, Hecate is waiting for Arthur. She warns him about talking to Francis and says that they are close to finding the fifth gate. The nightcomer tells him to summon the beasts in the countryside. Arthur refuses at first, but through Hecate's cold tone, he reluctantly agrees. The Englishman wonders how and why he got so weak. When Alfred comes to visit him, Arthur starts to have strange visions of a past life in London. The nightcomers have taken over his flat and made it their main base. Things take another turn for the worst for him when Allison Mayfair, the mother of Mam, arrives. Tea Leaves and Diamond Bracelets Arthur is terrified even more of Allison than he is her daughter. Lucy Mayfair confiscates his phone when she suspects that he is calling for help. Allison and Arthur are sitting in his living room. She offers him wine, but he turns her done out of fear. When he asks why she needs him for the apocalypse game, Allison goes into his mind and shows him the reason. She wants him for his power. Arthur breaks when other nightcomers run their hands all over his body. With one kiss on the cheek from Allison in reality, he has lost all will to fight back. It gets worse when Lucy deletes all of his contacts in his phone, takes out the battery, and locks up said phone in the kitchen. Hecate finally pushes him over when she locks him in the shed behind his flat and makes him hallucinate that he is seeing hungry rats. He breaks down and gives himself over to the nightcomers. Satisfied, Hecate unlocks the shed. Arthurt finally breaks at the Nightcomer's feast. Tea Leaves and Sapphire Earrings Arthur sits around in a daze in his living room while Allison and the nightcomers practically own the place now. Relationships Alfred F. Jones Main Article: Alfred F. Jones Alfred was discovered as a small child by Tino and Berwald. Tino told Arthur and Francis about his existence, and they proceeded to fight over who would be the child's older brother, though Alfred chose Arthur after the latter began to cry because he could not offer anything that compared to Francis' cooking. Arthur cared for America as his "little brother" and visited Alfred's home whenever he found the time, though he always needed to return to Europe after his visits. Only Alfred was capable of liking or tolerating Arthur's terrible cooking, resulting in Arthur being delighted and Alfred adopting the same "tasteless-ness." He also provided Alfred with toys and clothes and was shown to be very affectionate to him, even letting Alfred sleep in his bed when the latter couldn't sleep after reading horror stories. One day, when Arthur came for a visit, he was surprised to find out that Alfred had grown from a child into a teen and had become increasingly independent, no longer needing to rely on Arthur. Soon after, the Revolutionary War broke out and Alfred fought Arthur for his freedom and right to be his own nation. Near the end of the war, Arthur, unable to shoot Alfred when he had the opportunity, surrendered and allowed him be independent. While Arthur cried in front of him, Alfred stated "You used to be so...great." This memory always makes Arthur upset; when drunk, he is known for cursing Alfred for leaving him (Arthur once stated that 'someone left him heartbroken' for centuries, and it is assumed he refers to Alfred), especially when the Fourth of July, or Alfred's "birthday", arrives. The Revolutionary War caused a rift between the two and they constantly bicker and have disagreements. However, they are hinted as to truly care for each other. Francis Bonnefoy Main Article: Francis Bonnefoy Despite the fact that both are members of the Allied forces, Arthur and Francis have a deep-rooted historical rivalry. While they often have petty disagreements, they appear to respect each other and are quick to team up if a third party enters their argument. Francis once tried to marry Arthur to save his country, even though neither of them really wanted it. In strips focusing on Arthur's childhood, he is often picked on by a pre-teen Francis. On one occasion, he scoffs at Arthur for not growing out his hair, but when Arthur's does let his hair grow, it turns into a mess; Francis teases him, saying he'll cut it into a "cool" style only to cut it back to its original style. In Crossing Through the Year 1000, the two younger countries are fooled into believing that the world will end soon, and Arthur agrees to let Francis pretend to have conquered him, since it is only for a little while. They later reminisce about their childhood when Kiku makes the same mistake. In the movie "Paint it White" they said "they have an undesirable relationship but indestructible and in their heart they get along very well". Peter Kirkland Peter is Arthur's youngest brother, an abandoned naval fort who declared himself a nation at the end of WWII. The two always bicker because Peter wants to be recognized as a full-fledged nation and often sneaks into conferences the other countries attend (such as the G8, in which Peter pretended to be Matthew). In This Kind of Sealand is OO, 'Arthur has a nightmare about the earth around Peter rising up, causing Peter to become taller than him. Despite being called "Jerk Arthur" and being promised that he will one day bow to him, Arthur, though annoyed, does look out for Peter. Seychelles During their first meeting in the Gakuen Hetalia universe, Arthur snaps a dog collar onto Seychelles and claims her as his colony. He uses her like a servant in the game, though they occasionally are able to get along. In one of Seychelles's appearances in the comic, she is shown to be angry at Arthur. Hecate Mayfair ''Main Article: Hecate Mayfair Hecate could be compared to the role of the abuser in an abusive relationship. She forced Arthur to participate in the game to start the Apocalypse. She pushed him into a contract by raping him seven times. Now, Hecate is constantly at his flat, pushing him further into the game and having her sisters spy on him. She is working to isolate him from the other countries. Allison Mayfair Main Article: Allison Mayfair Just like her daughter, Allison is seen as an abuser to Arthur. She breaks him further when she showed him the inside of her soul. Trivia * He is referred to as '''United Kingdom, or UK for short, in most merchandise and in his character design on the official anime website. In other instances, however, he is referred to as England, most notably in Gakuen Hetalia and the English-language preview for America's Cleaning of the Storage. The Japanese word Igirisu means Britain but is sometimes used to refer to England (normally rendered as Ingurando in katakana or eikoku in kanji) in colloquial speech. A note by Hidekaz Himaruya confirms that he would only be known as "England" to his brothers, while he would be known as "UK" to the others. * The English dub refers to him as Britain. According to FUNimation, this was a request from the Japanese anime producers. * Todd Haberkorn was originally cast as Arthur in the FUNimation dub, while an unidentified actor was cast as Feliciano. After the actor for Feliciano dropped out of the dub mid-production, Haberkorn was cast as Feliciano and Scott Freeman was cast as Arthur. However, Haberkorn's lines were retained for Arthur's slightly younger colonial-era self in the Storage episodes. * Although he's always called Igirisu in the manga and anime, historically, he would be known as simply England up until the 18th century, when The Kingdom of Great Britain was formed, uniting both England and Scotland (the Act of Union of Wales and England had already taken place 1536-1543). In the early 19th century, Ireland was added, creating United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After Ireland split to declare itself independent in 1919, the Irish War of Independence waged until 1922, when it became the Irish Free State. Six of the 32 counties of Ireland (mostly from the province of Ulster where there was a great English/Scottish population) rejoined the UK while the other 26 counties formed the Republic of Ireland. * A UK character is actually first seen at the end of Hetalia: Chapter 1, however, his design was not yet completely finalized. He appears as a short-haired man with a UK label on his shirt and with somewhat thinner eyebrows. Notes in the special booklet for the third volume of the published manga reveal that Arthur was originally to have normal eyebrows, as well as the appearance of a middle-aged man who dressed much younger. Himaruya decided to give him thicker eyebrows, as he liked the idea of a character having brows modeled after a Shiba Inu. * He appears to be modeled after the character Hikone Kalom from Himaruya's other webcomic Barjona Bombers, though he is the exact opposite of Kalom in personality. * Himaruya once stated that his eyebrows are actually trimmed, although they don't appear that way since they still remain thick in appearance. He has also stated that Ireland has thicker eyebrows, but with a "different feel" to them. * Arthur mentions in his version of Marukaite Chikyuu that "My tattoo really hurts, but it's a hot six-string!" (six-string meaning electric guitar). This may indicate he has a tattoo. * Arthur states in the Christmas 2011 event that he hates firecrackers, but an explanation to why is never given. Source * Basic Information: http://hetalia.kitawiki.net/index.php?title=England Category:Characters Category:Tea Leaves Characters Category:Canon Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Human Category:Mam